How to Choose The Best Pediatrician For Your Child
When it is time to choose a pediatrician for your child, it can become overwhelming. Depending on where you live, you may have several different pediatricians to choose from. So how do you choose the right pediatrician? You will have to take your time to make sure that you choose the right pediatrician for both your needs and your child’s needs.
When choosing a pediatrician, there are several things that you will want to ask yourself before hiring them. Asking these questions will help to ensure that you are choosing the right physician.
Questions to Ask About A Potential Pediatrician
Is the office convenient to your location?
You will want to make sure that your pediatrician’s office is close to you. You will be seeing them every two to three months. Ensuring that they are close will help to make going to appointments easier.
What doctor will do your child’s first checkup?
If you choose to, you can hire a pediatrician that will be able to come in and check out your baby while he or she is still in the hospital. Typically, your hospital will have a hospital-affiliated doctor on staff that you can choose to continue to see your baby.
Does your OB/GYN doctor have recommendations?
Ask your obstetrician if they have any recommendations for your child’s pediatrician. They often work with these pediatricians and can let you know who to call.
Who do your friends and family recommend?
Talk to the members of your family and friends to see who they recommend and who they do not. You can also ask in local community groups online to see who people recommend in your area. Getting these recommendations can help you to make a good choice for your child’s physician.
Did you read the reviews?
With the internet, you can easily read reviews on any doctor that you are wanting to hire. Simply go online, enter their name and practice name, and you should have no trouble finding reviews on that doctor. Make sure that you read through all of them. Do not be discouraged about a doctor if you see a bad review. Keep reading through all of them before you make your final determination.
What is the doctor’s experience?
Pediatricians have to go to medical school and receive state licensing. However, not all pediatricians have pediatric board certification. This is a totally voluntary process. A pediatrician that has this certification will have more experience in pediatric cases. If this matters to you, you will need to check with their office to make sure that they are board-certified.
How does the practice function?
You will want to look at how the office functions. Look for office hours and whether or not they have an emergency number or emergency hours. If you are going with a group practice, your child will see different doctors. You will want to make sure that you meet each one to ensure that you like all the doctors in the practice. Take your time to make sure that this office fits within your needs.
What is the doctor’s philosophy?
You may want to consider learning about the doctor’s philosophy when it comes to treating his or her patients. Doing this will help you to determine whether or not you will get along with the doctor.
How was the first visit?
It is a good idea to plan for an initial office visit and take your child to that appointment. You will be able to find a doctor that you and your child are comfortable with by going to this first visit. Make sure that you ask the doctor any questions that you need to. If you do not feel comfortable with the staff or the doctor, you do not need to go with this practice. You can have an initial visit with as many doctors as you want to ensure that you find the right doctor.
Taking the time to find the right pediatrician for your child is imperative. This is the doctor they will have all throughout their childhood, so making sure that you have a good relationship with them should be your top priority. When you are choosing your pediatrician, make sure that you ask yourself the questions above to help you make the right decision.
